From American Tea Room

In need of a fifteen-minute tropical escape? Try So Coconut — our organic blend of Chinese black teas and real coconut slivers. The dry leaves are incredibly fragrant, and the burnt umber brew proffers aromas of both seductive coconut and earthy, bold black tea. So Coconut’s flavor balances base notes of deep, chocolaty black tea with abundant top notes of coconut. In the finish, sweet coconut lingers on the palate, transporting you to warmer climes. In short, So Coconut’s satiating, rich, tropical taste is our version of a vacation in a teacup.

For an added indulgence, pair So Coconut with vanilla sweets of any kind, milk or dark chocolate, or fresh tropical fruits (especially pineapple or mango). It’s fantastic hot, iced or prepared as an iced, blended tea latte or tea mocktail.

9 Tasting Notes

I can honestly say this is the first ATR tea I haven’t liked, at least in some capacity. It’s definitely a very coconutty tea (like the base tea is essentially non-existant), but the coconut oils leave a soapy taste that makes me think I’m drinking suntan lotion. I’d try adding milk and/or sugar, but I fear that would end up like the DT Carrot Cake episode.

I have wanted to try a black coconut tea since falling head over heels for Davidstea’s Coconut Oolong, but I’m not sure why.

I brewed this this morning and as soon as I smelled the dry leaves I was a bit put off, because it was doing the same rancid coconut thing that my sample of 52Teas Coconut Cream Pie did. I gave it a shot though, and if I looked past that it did taste very coconutty, but also kind of bitter and soapy too.

I decided not to do a resteep, and made some Coconut Oolong instead MUCH better!!! Going to stop looking now because I’ve already got my winner. I just hope that my Coconut Oolong doesn’t go all putrid on me one day, because I plan to seriously stock up before it is gone for good. I wanted to compare the two and the oolong isn’t bitter or rancid or soapy at all, just smooth and sweet and creamy and amazing. I’m drooling. The Coconut Oolong hijacked my tea note!

Glad to have tried the So Coconut and glad I can stop the search to focus in my next tea goal…. The perfect Caramel (non rooibos) tea!!

Coconut blacks without that rancid aroma/flavour are actually pretty decent. However, I’ve also had enough bad experiences that I’m kind of put off, myself. Perhaps one day if you’re in a tea store and they have one to smell, and it doesn’t smell off, you might be willing to give it another shot! :)

I have a Je T’aime sample waiting at home! Yay!
And I am not opposed to trying more but will no longer actively seek out coconut black teas :) Also you just made me realize the rancid coconut is probably why the rest of me Buttered Rum from Davidstea smells like cat pee :(

Preparation

They weren’t kidding when they called this So Coconut. While I was steeping, people could smell this miles away and were asking me why it smells like coconut! The aroma of the dry…leaf alone was in-your-face fresh roasted coconut. Coconut dominates this flavor profile, forget about the tea it is all about coconut! The fragrance of the brew was surprisingly coconutty. You can even see a slick of coconut oil formed over the surface. The taste was more like infused roasted coconut water than tea.

The aftertaste was soapy probably due to the oil extracted out of the coconut shreds. After every sip, I imagined I was drinking suntan lotion and it was grossing me out. I tried to mask the soapiness with milk and stevia but the suntan lotion just got creamier. This would be heaven for coconut lovers which I am not. Maybe they didn’t give me enough tea in my sample. But dang, it’s coconut def con five level! Too much coconut and not enough tea for me. It’s not a terrible tea. You can tell ATR does not skimp on ingredients, they are high quality and all natural. The coconut flavor is authentic as if you cracked open a coconut. I’ve read reviews that this is amazing iced, maybe I will try this way.

Preparation

i want to write a proper review.
i really do.
it’s been so long.
and i just received a new tea order in the mail today and everything.
but
instead here are my newest nails.http://handfic.tumblr.com/post/102616254093
and my comic book collection says ‘hi’

I was so excited when I received this as a sample with one of my ATR orders in the spring because I love coconut. I saved it just knowing I would love it iced in the summer. I was wrong; it is full of coconut taste but it’s so oily and kind of weird.

Well it is official, aside from Brioche, I am not an American Tea Room fan. I find their coconut a touch like sunscreen. It is not as bad as it sounds but not anything I want to have again. Oh well, can’t like them all!

Flavors: Coconut

Preparation

Also, and completely off topic, but where in this fine gigantic country did you find those tiny very adoreable ziplock bags? Anna sent me her tea in them also, and I think they’re very cute and it made me love you guys even more. So much better than those massive clunky and bulky ziplocks I use. So yeah, where where where can I find them?

I got mine on Amazon US. Among vendors I’ve used in the past are Epacknship and Collecting Warehouse, both have been great, but quality varies substantially. Then again, they’re super cheap and only used for tea samples!

Omg, you had to buy them online? that’s so odd. Like buying cue-tips or floss online or something…except that when I think about it, most mainstream stores probably don’t have these. But variaTea, did you find yours online also? because after seeing how you and anna package tea, I need to step up my packaging game and join the craze. Do you just type “baby miniature adoreable ziplocks” in amazon’s search field?

Ok, I was just on amazon, and there are like five thousand different possible measurements for little zip lock bags. A few other google searches yield online forums where people are talking about ideal packaging for weed….? did you look for a specific measurement?

I know, being able to pick EXACTLY the measurements I wanted made my OCD hug itself, hum gently, and rock from side to side.

Calculating exactly how big the small bags should be to fit exactly one 1.5-2 teaspoon cup sample, and how big the bigger bag should be to fit exactly two filled small bags… that was serious quality time for me. I might have drooled slightly.

You guys are so funny! And thanks for this discussion, for the past few days I’ve been wondering where to get decent non-sandwich-sized baggies for tea-swapping. It seems like the Collecting Warehouse Anna mentioned has a great variety on Amazon.

Anna, we are all waiting to learn of your measurements!! please do share, I’m getting excited! and yes guys, anna is a hardcore packager, I tell you, hardcore. even better, do you have links to your measurements?…I mean, of the amazon variety? And I’ll spare you the five million dollr shipping cost to mail me bags when you’ve pretty much mailed me my shopping list, but yeah, bags ftw!!

The smaller ones are a little flimsier to fit inside the bigger ones more easily.

If you want to package large-leaf teas, such as needle teas or certain oolongs, though, you might want to go bigger.

I use a little specialty scoop (I cook a lot and use them for spices) that is sleek and angled and just fits inside the smaller bags so I never have to touch the tea, but I’m sure a tiny teaspoon or a folded piece of paper would also do the trick.